Books are banned or challenged for moral, political, religious, or commercial reasons.

Once the book is banned, readers have either limited or no access to it.

Every year, during the last week of September, a major event is held that promotes the freedom to read. Banned Books Week brings together librarians, educators, publishers, and readers who unite to draw attention to the harms of censorship.

On the website of American Library Association you can read more about Banned Books Week, find the list of frequently challenged books, download promotional materials, and report a book challenge.

Infographics play a growing role in raising the awareness about book banning. In this overview, we collected the best visuals created in the recent years.

You’ll find below the infographics from Love Reading, which are a two-volume definitive guide to most banned and challenged books.

Other infographics focus on highlighting facts and figures about book banning, not only in the U.S. but also worldwide. There are also visuals that put banned books on a historical timeline. Thanks to that you will see which books were banned – and for how long – in various countries.

Please note that this page may load slowly due to a large number of big image files. Click or tap on the infographics to see them in full resolution.

2. The definitive guide to banned books, vol. 1

Published by a UK-based book recommendation website Lovereading, the infographic lists most popular books that at some point, and in some countries, were banned.

Each book comes with a summary of the plot, the date of a first release, and most importantly – the reason to ban it.

There are books in the chart that you wouldn’t believe were banned. Just have a look at Alice in Wonderland. In the 30s of the last century, the Chinese Censor General thought attributing human intelligence to animals was “an insult to humanity”, and that children should be protected from the negative influence of the book.

4. Most controversial books in the world

Books and controversies go hand in hand, and this infographic shared on Graphs.net lists the most controversial titles.

Some more facts about To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s one of the most challenged classics of all time, according to American Library Association. Reasons: racial slurs, profanity, and blunt dialog. The book still ranks at number 21 of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 2000–2009.

7. Top banned books throughout history

Besides listing top banned books, this infographic, designed by Printer Inks, puts the censored books in a timeline. Thanks to that you can see when and for how long the book was banned in a particular country.

You can also find in the visual the books forbidden in schools, as well as ridiculous reasons to ban them.

9. I’m with the banned

A great infographic created by Robert E. Kennedy Library. The most interesting part compares the U.S. states by the number of reported challenges. California, Texas, and Florida are the top three states.

The visual lists also top 100 banned books in the U.S. from 2000 to 2009. Each book is accompanied by the dots representing the reasons to challenge it.

10. Banned and challenged books in America

Here is an infographic that takes a closer look at book banning and challenging in the United States.

According to American Library Association, only 10% of all books that are challenged are banned in the end. A factor which makes it difficult to ban a book in America is The First Amendment to the Constitution. It prevents Congress from making any law prohibiting or abridging the freedom of speech and press.

The infographic, created by Invaluable, lists also top banned books by category.

11. Why books are banned

To celebrate the freedom to read, designer and illustrator Anna Weddle has created a single-minded infographic that lists the most common reasons that books are banned.

52 books were banned because they contained sexual content. Violence and profanity are the next on the list. It’s worth noting that poor spelling can also make a book land on the list of banned titles. Four books were banned or challenged because of it.

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